Why I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings?

It is no surprise that “I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings” has a large amount of cultural history. Maya goes in to explain the racial segregation that was present during her childhood, claiming that she never believed “that whites were really real (Angelou).” This meant that any one person going through that time period may have believed the same, or possibly never even seen a white person before. Her story then states that San Francisco claims to have no racial divide, which they told the truth, but the racism between people still existed. When she did get a little older and moved to a non-segregated city, any experiences with a white person has been negative. (Although rudeness of her classmates, and even teachers, did not discourage Maya and her brother.) Due to living in a city of liberals, from both end of the spectrum, the people started Civil Right’s movement which gave Maya a chance to go out of the American American stereotype.

However, the job application didn’t come easy as they would not hire black people, and with the advice of her mother, Maya started a sit-in. This sit-in lasted for two weeks straight, and in the end got her the job at the age of sixteen (WNYC)! “‘I sat there (at the office) for two weeks, every day. And then after two weeks, a man came out of his office and said 'come here.' And he asked me 'why do you want the job?' I said 'I like the uniforms.' And I said 'and I like people.' And so I got the job.’ (WNYC).” Her achievement and sit-in made it easier for the black community to become a streetcar conductor; and her breach of sexism and racism, in her later years, made her an outstanding role model for breaking the mold that was built by the white